To Understand: Interlude
by Harmony283
Summary: SemiSequel to To Understand. Genis, Mithos, Raine and April have been traveling around for a while when Martel asks them to come to visit. What does she want and what does it have to do with her and Mithos' parents? R&R please!


**Me: **Well thanks to my readers for TU—here is TU:Interlude! The oneshot bridge between TU and TU:RooS

**Feral: **Yes here it is. But you started it a while ago didn't you?

**Me: **Yeah actually, I did. –shrugs- not that it matters.

**To Understand: Interlude **

**By Harmony283**

**Summary: **Genis, Mithos, Raine, and April are traveling together to bring about Half-elven freedom. But what happens when Yuan and Martel ask them to visit the Flanoir Base? What does it have to do with Martel and Mithos' parents? And how did they _really_ die?

**Timeline: **About 3-4 months after TU's epilog.

**Pairings: **Genis/Mithos, Raine/April, and Yuan/Martel

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters from ToS, Namco does. I do however own April, Feral, and the plot line--so please don't steal!

**Authors Note: **Well here it is…the promised bridge between TU and TU:RooS. Why do I need a bridge between the two? Simple, there's something that happens after TU, but before TU:RooS that's important for everyone to know. Now you don't _have_ to read TU to read this…but I HIGHLY recommend it (unless you like reading about things you don't understand).

**Warnings: **shonen-ai, mild shojo-ai, some suggestive-ness (in the beginning), and mentioning of past character deaths

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Flanoir, 6:05AM: Mithos' POV  


I let out a soft sigh, looking up at the plain white ceiling of the hotel room in Flanoirs only inn. It was early in the morning, the sun hadn't even risen yet, and now I couldn't sleep. I shifted underneath the covers of the bed to face the still-sleeping boy next to me. I smiled and reached a hand out, brushing a few of his silver strands out of his eyes. He looked so happy and peaceful when he was sleeping.

_'And he definitely deserves it.'_

My smile widened as he batted my hand away sleepily before curling up in an even tighter ball. Then he shivered and I realized that he _must _have been freezing. He may be wearing a long sleeved shirt to bed, but he was only wearing shorts. I moved closer to him, wrapping my arms around his waist before pulling him against my chest.

He let out a sigh and whispered sleepily, "Mithos…? Are you still up?"

I nodded my head, "Yes, Genis, I'm up. But you could say that I'm up _earlier_ than normal. It's a little after six in the morning."

Genis grumbled lightly, shifting even _closer_ to me. Now he was practically on top of my chest, not next to it.

"Then go back to sleep." He purred in my ear before nuzzling my neck and, apparently, going back to sleep.

Now I just hoped Raine didn't wake up early. She wouldn't…take it too kindly that we were in this position.

And I didn't want to lose the privilege of sleeping in the same bed as the younger teen, so I gently pushed him back onto the mattress next to me.

"Wha--? Mithos! I was warm!" he protested, opening blurry, sleepy, eyes to stare at mine, "And you're _still_ wide awake. Go back to sleep."

I shook my head, "I know you're warm, but what would your sister think if she came in here? And I already told you I couldn't get back to sleep."

Genis scowled, "I don't care what Raine says. She'd understand. And it's not like you to listen to her…especially at a time like this." Now he was sitting up and looking down at me, "And what do you mean you can't get to sleep? Did you have a bad dream?"

I shook my head, "No. But," I sat up as well, "You're really grumpy in the morning."

"Only when I haven't gotten enough sleep, or if someone wakes me up. And you woke me up."

I reached up and placed a hand on his head, "I should've figured that. I'm sorry, let's get back to sleep." I let my head fall back onto my pillow and watched Genis for a few seconds, thinking he'd follow suit.

But he didn't. Instead he leaned over me with a small smile on his lips. He leaned down and gently kissed me on the lips before backing away and snuggling back up underneath the covers.

I smirked and wrapped my arms around his waist once more; "I love you too." I whispered into his ear before feeling my eyelids closing. It was a nice feeling, being able to sleep again, I mean.

I was so used to not sleeping that I had almost forgotten how. In fact, I had almost forgotten how to do a lot of things. But over the course these past few months, no, ever since we began traveling together after the worlds had been reunited--about a year and some months ago--I had been learning how to feel, sleep, eat, and touch again.

It was a really nice feeling…

Unfortunately that 'nice' feeling was interrupted by a very familiar voice.

_"Aww now don't you two look absolutely adorable."  
_  
I flinched and Genis growled.

_"I know you're awake!"_ The voice stated again, and I could have sworn the person was actually smiling even though my eyes were closed.

"Shut it, Feral." Genis mumbled from beside me, curling up even closer to me and laying his head on my chest, "It's only six in the morning."

Feral laughed at this, _"Right, right. I know but I'm_ bored_. I'm surprised you didn't wake up when I bugged you enough."_

Genis sighed, "Because I just can."

I felt the mattress sink lightly as more weight was added to it, and suddenly Feral's voice was right over us, _"But I want you to wake up. I'm sure Raine and April are getting ready now."_

I felt Genis move and I opened my eyes. Feral was kneeling much like a cat ready to pounce on its prey. She had a shine in her eyes as she watched us and I scowled, "Well they may be getting ready but we don't have to leave until at most 9 o'clock."

Genis nodded his head, "Yeah. So…just go back to sleep."

Feral shook her head, _"But I don't_ need _to sleep."_ She looked over at me, _"And you don't really need to either, now do you?"_

I sighed, "I do now. And I wish now I could go back to sleep."

_"But you said only about--"_ she looked over at the clock hanging over the door, _"--fifteen minutes ago that you wanted to get up."_ The silver haired summon spirit pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes but that was fifteen minutes ago."

A knock at the door made us all jump and turn towards it.

"Who…is it?" Genis asked, looking over at Feral who shrugged.

"It's me, April. Can I come in?"

Feral got up immediately before either me or Genis could move and opened the door. And there standing in the doorway was a rather tired and nervous looking April. She looked past Feral and smiled at us, "Oh, I see you're awake…"

"Yeah, Feral woke us up." Genis replied as he rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"I see. Hmm, well, I guess it's good that she did." She walked until she reached our bed, "Because we're going to have to leave early."

We just stared at her, until finally I asked, "Why?"

"W-well," she looked out the window at the blinding whiteness of the snow, before looking back at us, "There was a snow storm last night. And apparently keeping the Rhieards out wasn't the best idea."

I shook my head, "don't tell me…their engines froze?"

She nodded her head, "And there's ice on them too…they aren't safe to drive."

Genis groaned, "So we have to walk through the snow?"

April nodded her head, "Y-yes I'm afraid we do. Raine has everything packed up that we needed. She has your coats and other things too, Genis."

Genis groaned again as he got up off the bed. He shivered lightly and nodded his head, "Okay. I guess we'd better get ready too." He looked over at Feral, "And even you are going to need a jacket."

Feral grinned, "I know, but I can just teleport to--"

"no."

She immediately began to pout, "Why not? I could take you there in an instant."

"But I got sick the last time you tried that." He looked over at me and then back at Feral, "We _both_ did." He motioned between us.

Feral shook her head, "But I've gotten stronger since the last time we tried it." She paused and looked back at Genis, who had a serious look on his face, "Fine…I'll stay with you." Then she promptly disappeared.

We turned back to face April, "I guess I'll leave now." She smiled and then turned around, closing the door as she left.

We looked over at each other as the door closed and then I nodded my head, "You should get changed first. Wearing shorts in this weather isn't exactly the smartest thing in the world to do." I stood up and grabbed the brush on the bedside table, and began to brush my hair, watching as Genis stared back at me.

The he blushed, muttering; "He doesn't mean it like that." Before turning around and picking up his black pants, which lay folded on a chair beside the desk.

I moved across the bed as I saw him stagger, and managed to catch him. But this only seemed to make him blush more.

I chuckled, "Did Feral say something?"

He averted his gaze from me to the window and nodded his head.

"What did she say?" I asked, leaning in closer.

Genis turned to me, his face even redder than before, "Um…sh-she said…um…" then he shook his head, "Nothing…"

"Then why are you blushing."

"B-because it's embarrassing and I don't want you to--"

Now I was outright laughing, "Calm down. If it's really that embarrassing then I won't ask you anymore about it." I gently grabbed the front of his pants, "But you need to get these on." I tugged them up from where they had been--around his knees--all the way up to his waist, making him gasp.

I smirked as he turned to face me, his face bright red, "Um…"

"You're welcome."

He blushed even more and shook his head, "I…"

Then the door opened and someone coughed.

I turned to see who it was, as did Genis, and I smiled, "Good morning Raine."

"Ah--morning sis."

"What's going on here?" she asked, sounding extremely irritated. Her hair still needed to be brushed and she looked like she hadn't gotten enough sleep, her arms were crossed and her face was pinched up.

Then I realized what this must look like. I quickly let go of the tops of Genis' pants, and Genis did them up quickly.

"Well?"

"I-It's not what it looked like, sis!"

Raine tilted her head to the side, "Oh really? And what does it look like?"

Genis blushed and shook his head, "Um…"

I stepped in and asked, "What does it look like to you?"

Her eyes narrowed, "What it looked like? I don't think I should let you two share a room again if--"

"Raine! Raine!"

Raine turned and looked down the hall, "April? What is it?"

April ran up to her, "It's Yu--" she turned to face us and blushed, "--oh…um…am I…interrupting something…?"

Genis quickly shook his head, "No you aren't. What about Yuan?"

April looked over at Raine questioningly before speaking, "He's, ah, he's waiting for us. He said that we can use his Rheiards to get to his base. Ours are…well, let's just say we can't use them anymore. They're permanently damaged."

Both Genis and I flinched at this.

"So we got up this early for nothing?" Raine asked, stifling a yawn, "I guess I could go down and get coffee to help wake myself up. But after that," she glared at us, "I'll need to speak with you two in private."

I let out a sigh, "I'll say this again, whatever it looked like to you—that's not what it looks like. Genis nearly fell over I was just helping him up."

Raine's eyes narrowed, "Right."

"Ah—Raine!" We watched as April rushed after Raine, obviously she was going to try to make her feel better.

Though even if she did we probably wouldn't be let off the hook _that_ easily. I looked down at Genis and he smiled back up at me nervously, "I-I'll…um…finish getting dressed and I'll...um…talk to Yuan."

I nodded my head, "Yeah, I'll join you."

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April's POV

"Raine! Raine wait up!" Raine didn't listen to me though, she just kept walking until she reached the room that we shared. She nearly closed the door in my face, but she didn't. Instead she walked over to the bed she had chosen to sleep on and sat down on it.

She let out a sigh and looked at me, "What?"

"R-Raine…I don't know what happened but…we should…"

Her eyes narrowed, "Let it _slide_? I let enough slide already. Frankly them sleeping in the same room is fine, but…in the same _bed_. I knew this would happen eventually." She sighed and put her face in her hands, shaking slightly.

I walked over and sat down next to her, "Then why don't you…ah…" for once I didn't know what to say. Instead I just rubbed her back gently.

To my surprise Raine leaned against me, her head falling in my lap. I felt a blush rise up to my cheeks and tried to fight it back, "R-Raine?"

"Genis is _too young_ for such behavior."

I shook my head, "But think about it. Would they--would Mithos _really_ do something to Genis that he wasn't ready for? What if they're telling the truth."

Raine moved her head so that she was staring up at me, "You don't even know what happened."

I flinched. Well…that's true. I didn't. But, "But still, I can guess can't I. Besides, I came in and told them about the Rhieards earlier. If they _had_ done anything it wouldn't have been more than just a kiss or two, which you accept don't you?"

Raine nodded her head, "Mm I'm not about to tell him he can't kiss his boyfriend." She bit her lip, "I…I'm just…not comfortable with it."

"Raine it's almost been two years."

"I know that." She snapped.

I flinched again, but this time she noticed.

"Are you okay? You keep flinching." She sits up, bringing her face dangerously close to mine. I could feel my face heat up once more and I shake my head, "I-I'm fine!" she doesn't seem to believe me, though, and she places her forehead against mine, making me gasp.

"Well you don't _have_ a fever." She murmured more to herself than me, "so why is your face red?"

At times like this I definitely agreed with Mithos: smart people were dense when it came to love. Raine was _very_ dense.

Suddenly someone coughed loudly, making us both look away from each other and towards them.

There, standing in the doorway, was none other than Yuan. He had a smirk on his face and he was eyeing us--or rather our position--with a knowing look in his eyes. He straightened up and walked a few steps into the room, "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, his voice holding some sort of humor in it.

"No you weren't." Raine shot back, making me flinch again, "Why are you here? April told me you were here but…do you really have that many Rhieards to spare."

Yuan rolled his eyes, "Of course I do. Most of the Renegades don't come in until _much_ later. Plus you've been up here for fifteen minutes. Genis and Mithos were wondering how long you were going to keep us waiting."

"Then why didn't they come get us?" I asked, now I really wanted to move--but I couldn't.

"Because," Yuan's eyes now turned cold, "Apparently they said you'd get mad at them." He directed that mainly at Raine.

This time Raine flinched and looked away.

"Do I even need to ask why?" Yuan asked, lowering his voice. Then he sighed, "Look I'm going back downstairs. Hurry up or else we're leaving without you."

With that said he turned around and, with a grand sweep of his cape (A/N: Yes the cape we all love the cape) he walked back through the door, not caring to close it.

I looked back down at Raine, who just blinked a few times before laying her head back in my lap. This made me blush even more.

"R-Raine?"

"Hmm?"

"He probably really _will_ leave without us if we don't move." I took a deep breath, "And that means that you um, have to stop using my lap as your pillow." I honestly thought that this would get her up. I knew she wasn't an affectionate person, well, she wasn't to anyone besides Genis. After her last boyfriend broke up with her, which I think was around the time Genis was 6 or 7, she hadn't dated once. Not that she really had the time to from what she had told me.

"Mm but I'm sleepy and you're comfy."

I shook my head, "Th-that may be true but we need to _leave_. Or do you want to walk through the snow?"

This got Raine's attention. She lifted her head off my lap immediately and nearly pounced off the bed. She rushed around the room and gathered our things, never once looking me in the eyes, before handing me my stuff and walking out the door.

I had to run once more to catch up with her.

I got a quick glance at the clock over the check-in/out desk and saw that it was nearly seven thirty in the morning. And it seemed that it had stopped snowing. For that I was thankful. Heimdall never really got snow, and I disliked it all the same. I hated being cold.

"April hurry up, we're about to leave!" Genis called and I turned away from the window and rushed over to them. I pulled the coat I was wearing (A/N: She had to put on a coat to go out and talk to Yuan about the Rhieards, she just forgot to take it off) tighter around me and stepped out into the cold.

Genis and Mithos immediately got on their respective Rhieards as did Raine and I. Yuan, who had already gotten on his Rhieard, rose into the air first, leading us towards the base.

At first I wondered why, since we already knew where the base was. But I quickly understood as we got higher in the sky. There were so many thick clouds that you could barely see. It was almost like flying through fog except, of course, it wasn't fog.

I let out a soft sigh of relief when the rocks surrounding the Renegade Base could be seen. I looked over at Raine, who was flying quite close to me, and saw she kept eyeing the rocks as if they would jump out and attack her.

Then again she really probably wasn't look at the rocks. She was probably, no, most likely looking at the ocean. Her greatest fear, even now.

We landed outside the base's front doors and, after putting the Rhieards back in the Wing Packs we walked in.

"I'll go get Martel," Yuan stated, turning to face us, "Just…wait here." He seemed nervous about something.

And, when I looked over at Mithos, he looked nervous as well.

A few minutes later I understood why.

Martel came out, looking rather sleepy in my opinion, with a smile on her face. You could barely see it with the outfit she was wearing but her stomach was bulging slightly.

She…she was…

"You're pregnant?" Mithos asked, sounding surprised.

Martel nodded her head, "Yes I am." She looked down at her stomach, "And I'm glad…she's doing okay…for now…" she looked back up and smiled at Mithos. But it was a sad smile.

"She?" I asked, wanting to break the uneasiness in the room, "So the baby's a girl?"

Martel nodded her head, "Yes."

I smiled and nodded my head, "What's her name going to be? Or do you have one picked out yet? And how…far are you…?"

Martel looked over at Yuan and then back at us, "Let's go…talk somewhere else. This isn't exactly the most comfortable place…after all it _is _technically only the entry way." With a nervous laugh she turned and walked down one of the hallways, beckoning us to come with her.

A few minutes later--really how big _was_ this place?--we arrived in what looked to be the private rooms of the base. Two large sofa's were set up across from each other in the center of the room, with a coffee table in the center. There was a fireplace on one end and multiple bookcases on the other end.

"Here we are," Yuan stated, "Make yourselves at home." He and Martel immediately walked over to one of the sofa's and sat down. Martel winced.

Now I was worried.

"Are you…okay?" I asked as I sat down on the sofa across from them. She managed to shake her head a little, "I-I…don't know how well bearing this child will be. I mean…" she looked over at Mithos, "when mother had you it was difficult enough. I know the risks of it. I just hope I can actually bear this child, and maybe even a second child if things go well."

Mithos, who was sitting next to Raine and I, rolled his eyes, "Right. Worry about this baby first please."

Martel flinched, "Mithos…"

Mithos shook his head, "What? I'm telling the truth. You want this baby to survive right? Which is why you aren't going outside, which is why you haven't been doing much of _anything_ right?" his eyes narrowed, "It'd be great an' all if the baby survives but you don't know that yet."

"Wait…so the chances of Martel giving birth to a healthy baby is…" I trailed off.

"Close to zero." Mithos spat.

Well he certainly was in a charming mood today.

"Mithos! Stop acting like it's the worst thing in the world! Mother was just fine after she had me! It's not like I'll die from childbirth." She touched her stomach lightly, "Besides I'm six months pregnant…only a few more months to go and the baby will be born."

Six months…? I shook my head, "You don't look six months pregnant. You look maybe only two months pregnant."

Martel looked down at her stomach again, "That's how mother was too. When I was born, everyone was so worried. But I turned out just fine." She smiled back at us, "And mother was just fine too…" then she gasped and turned to look at Mithos, "Don't tell me…you still think it's your fault?"

Mithos stood up abruptly and walked towards the exit of the room, "My fault? What's my fault?"

"Mithos I won't turn out like mother did. I was born healthy and I've been healthy…despite…a few circumstances…this baby will be born healthy as well. And if I decide to have another child they will most likely be born healthy as well."

"If you're anything like mom was then that's an even less likely chance." Mithos wasn't even looking at us anymore, "I don't feel like talking much. Just…before I leave, what's her name going to be?"

Martel swallowed loudly, "H-her name…is going to be Aura."

Mithos turned around quickly and just stared at her, he didn't look angry, more like sad, "You're naming her after our mother?" he whispered, shaking his head from side to side, "I should've figured you would." Then he turned and walked out of the room.

He didn't even look at Genis, who was inspecting one of the bookshelves by the door.

Once the door slammed shut Martel sighed, gaining our attention. When we turned to face her--even Genis had come to sit down next to us--she smiled, "I'm sorry. He just…our mother was very dear to him. And this subject doesn't exactly make him comfortable either."

"I know it's not my place to ask," Raine leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, "But may I ask _why_ it's so sensitive? I can already assume so much about it. But as you know it's always nice to hear it first hand." I could tell that she was forcing herself to be calm.

After all this must hit her hard as well. **(1)**

Martel looked once more at her stomach, "Well…I suppose the easiest way to tell you--as well as the shortest way to tell you--about this would be to say that when I was born, mother had a rough delivery. They said she might not be able to bear another child again. But…but she wanted another child. She was successful, of course, but when she gave birth to Mithos…I-I don't know but they found out that something was wrong with him from early on. He was always incredibly weak when he was younger and…and mother too. After Mithos was born mother just kept getting weaker and weaker until one day, about a month or two after the news of our fathers death--he was human--she died from the sickness."

Raine opened her mouth again to speak.

But Genis spoke up first, "How did your dad die?"

Martel tilted her head to the side, "The Village Elder told me that the scouts found his body…that he had grave wounds and he must've been attacked by a monster."

Genis' eyes narrowed. He _didn't_ look happy…and he kept wincing.

"Are you okay, Genis?" Raine asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Genis pulled away from her and stood up, "I-I'm going after Mithos. I-I want to ask him something. Besides I think he's probably cooled down enough now." He hurried over to the door, wincing again.

Feral must've said something unpleasant.

"Genis…are you…" Martel trailed off and shook her head, smiling, "please tell me if brother's okay? It's still early and…"

Genis nodded his head and walked out of the room.

Martel let out yet another extremely long, and tired, sigh, "Your brother is amazing you know." She remarked, smiling at Raine.

Raine looked surprised for a split second before shaking her head, "Well he does love Mithos. That much I can say."

"Yes. I…really need to thank him for that." She said with a smile on her lips.

This caught us both off guard.

"What?" we asked in unison

Martel looked back at us, "Because he made Mithos fall in love with someone else," she giggled, "and as you know 'love always succeeds'. Love can do _anything_ can't it, Yuan?"

Yuan just blushed and looked away.

Raine and I just smiled. Then, Raine spoke up, "But I'm worried, aren't you? Where do you think they went?"

Martel shook her head, "I don't know. And I'm worried too. I hope Mithos doesn't say anything he'll regret."

Raine sighed, "Well the only way we can make sure that he doesn't is if we follow them. So let's go."

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Mithos' POV

I sighed in relief when I made to the exit--or entrance--to the base. I looked around briefly. The decorations here were similar to those in Venheim. Not that that didn't surprise me, but…

I let out another long sigh as I walked through the front doors. It was still early--from where the sun was located I'd guess it was around eight o'clock. Maybe a little after. And it was still cold. But it was bearable.

I walked over to the only non-snow-covered rock on the small island and sat down on it, staring out at the ocean. I shivered as a gust of wind brought tufts of soft loose snow and dropped it on my head.

How pleasant.

_'I'm going to catch a cold out here if I stay out too long.' _I sighed again, _'So I need to go in soon but…after I just…walked out like that…? Martel's probably worried.' _

I shook my head and clenched my fist, "But she should know better than that. She knows I don't like to talk about…" I shook my head even more. When I stopped the world seemed to be spinning.

I tried to make it stop by placing my hands on my head, but of course that didn't work. So I tried to make myself more comfortable on the rock, even though it _was_ cold. The ground was even colder and I didn't want to fall off--

I felt myself slide forward and would've caught myself, really I would've but for some reason I didn't.

Besides the snow may be cold, but it was definitely softer than a rock. Hitting the ground hard on my back, and feeling the cold wet snow underneath the light fluffy snow wasn't pleasant either.

I shivered again and stared up at the cloudy sky above me. It had stopped snowing at some point. But it looked like it was going to start up again.

I sighed and closed my eyes, "Snow…I don't see much snow. Heimdall never got snow, and neither did Venheim…unless artificial snow counts." I grabbed some of the fluffy light snow in the palm of my hand and raised it above me. My hand was numb from the cold, and it was turning red. But that didn't matter as I watched the wind take some of the snow and scatter it around me.

A few minutes passed and I was _seriously_ thinking about getting up. My jacket, which I hadn't taken off yet, was getting soaked through and my hands felt numb.

"Mithos?"

I nearly jumped when I heard Genis' voice calling out my name. I got up slowly and turned around. There, standing near the entrance, was Genis. He was staring at me with a strange look in his eyes. Something told me that Martel must've said something. Either that or his sister did.

"Genis? What's wrong? Why aren't you with Raine?" I asked, pushing myself up on my knees. Genis shook his head and walked towards me. When he reached me he leaned down and helped me up, "I didn't feel like staying in there. E-Especially after Martel told us how your parents died."

I winced. If there was ever a subject more personal to me than child birth it was how our parents died. I looked over at him, "How did she say they died?"

"Um…she said your dad must've been attacked by monsters a-and your mom died from some kind of illness after you were born. Sh-she," he shivered, "she didn't give any other details about it."

I nodded my head. Somehow I was expecting her to say that, "I see."

We sat there in silence for another couple of minutes and now my arms were feeling numb. Then Genis spoke up, "But that's…not how they died is it?" he whispered. When I turned to look at him, he was looking up at the cloudy sky, "your sister doesn't know how they really died does she?" he turned to face me, "How sad."

I shook my head, "No she doesn't know."

Suddenly Feral appeared in front of us, _'But you do, don't you? You used to have dreams about it didn't you?' _

I shivered, "So? Your point is?"

Feral's eyes narrowed, _'My point is why you're keeping it from your sister? She knows it's a sensitive subject for you. But she doesn't understand fully _why_ it makes you so upset. If she knew--' _

"Feral that's enough." Genis muttered, he was looking at me now, "I think you shouldn't judge him as harshly as you're about to. And…can you please leave?"

Feral glared at him but complied, disappearing just as quickly as she had appeared. I turned back to face Genis and he smiled apologetically, but it looked forced. I shook my head, "You do realize that now I'm going to ask you if you know how they really died, don't you? And you know that I'm going to ask you _how_ you know…or rather _why_ Feral told you that, right?"

He nodded his head, "Yeah I know. But…I-I'd rather _you_ tell me it. No matter how…painful it is to remember." His eyes looked hopefully when they met mine.

But…

"I don't think I can."

Genis immediately looked away, "Why not? I want to hear from _you_. I don't want someone who…who barely knows you to tell me why or how your parents died. She didn't know them either. She just knows because of who she is."

I shook my head, "I know that but like she said, it's a sensitive subject for me. I'd rather not talk about it if I have to."

Genis was glaring at me and I could tell, "That's not an answer." He latched himself onto my arm only to immediately let go and yelp, "You're freezing cold, Mithos!"

I shrugged, "That's what comes with staying outside so long."

"Then let's go back inside," He tugged on my coat sleeve, "where it's at least a _little_ warmer."

I shook my head, "Nah, I'm fine for a little long--oww!" I tugged my arm away from him, rubbing it lightly while glaring at him. He just sighed in relief, "I'm glad you could feel that. I was worried that you had gone completely numb."

I scowled, "Right. Well now you know I'm fine, but that still really hurt." Genis blinked a few times before smiling apologetically, "I'm sorry. I-I would hug you but you're so cold." He bit his lip and thought for a second before leaning forward and kissing me on the cheek.

Well at least my face wasn't as numb as I thought it was. I pulled Genis towards me, ignoring his pleas of 'let go, you're cold!' and returned the favor.

"Gah! Mithos even your _lips_ are cold!" He jumped up and grabbed my jacket sleeve again, tugging my towards the door, "We don't have to go back to where your sister is or anything, but let's just go _inside_. Even _I'm_ starting to get cold."

But I didn't want to go in yet. And I was feeling stubborn. So I just jerked my arm back, "No."

Genis nearly lost his balance from the tug but he managed to say upright, "But--why?"

"I already told you."

Genis was glaring at me again, "And I told _you_ that we probably wouldn't run into them. Besides, can you give me a good reason as to _why _we have to stay out here? And it has to be an actual reason, not just for avoiding someone. In fact it's more likely that they'll check outside first."

Well that was true.

So what was my reason? I sighed, only one came to mind but…I really…

I sighed again, this time louder, "Fine. I was thinking about it okay? Martel's naming her daughter Aura--after our mom. Our mom…" I looked away from Genis' wide blue eyes, "our mom was _amazing_. She was…really important to me. I'm sure Martel told you about how important our mom was?"

Genis shook his head, "Raine only asked about why it was so hard for her to deliver…and stuff about the baby and why it would be sick."

I nodded my head, "Yet again that doesn't surprise me. Mom…mom was a healer. She was one of the best healers in the village."

"So now you're just going to tell me about her?" Genis asked, looking smug. I glared at him, "What about it?" He shrugged, "Just glad I could persuade you to tell me. Even though I didn't do anything."

I sighed, "Like I was _saying_, mom was one of the best healers in the village. She was also extremely kind. She was well known too, and many humans would come to her for guidance on how to treat the ill. That's how our mom met our dad. Long story short they fell in love and everyone in the village at that time, well, they were fine with it as long as they didn't bear children." I smiled sadly, "And of course you know they didn't follow that rule. They had Martel first. The Village Elder was probably angry with them for keeping Martel in the village. He probably would've thrown my parents out but when Martel got older they found out she could heal just as well as her mother could, so they let mom dad and Martel stay in the village."

Genis nodded his head, "I…see. But…they weren't happy about it were they?"

I shook my head, "Not really, no. Just because the Village Elder said it was okay for them to stay didn't mean that the villagers immediately liked her or anything. Martel doesn't talk much about it--she never did even when I asked her about it, so I don't know much about before I was born."

Genis nodded his head, "She probably has painful memories too. I'm sure my sister has some she won't ever share with me."

I nodded my head at this, "Almost all older siblings have something they'd rather not share with their younger siblings. It's only natural. Now then, of course I was born when Martel turned eleven and, well, I…I wasn't exactly the healthiest child in the world. I wasn't a healer like mom or Martel. But…I don't know if it was pity but the Village Elder took a liking to me because I looked so much like my mom. Most of the villagers were a little nicer to me than my sister, I guess. But I think it was because of me being so sick." I took a deep breath. I knew I was getting to the hard part, "And then of course mom got sick. I was…I was around six or seven at the time. I was always worried about her, but since she seemed to be getting worse none of the other healers wanted me to go near her. They kept Martel away as well."

"That's understandable." Genis whispered, his voice seemed higher than normal though. When I glanced at him I saw pain in his eyes. He…he _must_ know what happens after this. He…he most likely already knows but…

I took another deep breath and continued, "One day I got fed up of being kept away and I decided to sneak into my mother's bedroom at night. I knew she was still away because there was a light shining in her bedroom window. I snuck in when the guards were asleep and visited my mom. She was so happy to see me, she said she didn't know why they were keeping Martel and me away. We talked for a bit and I found out about something that mom was…was _making_ I guess you could say. It was part of the reason she was weak, but she said it should help me get stronger." I clenched my fist, "Shortly after she showed me what it was, we heard people come in. Mom was scared of what they'd do if they found me in the room with her, so she told me to hide in the closet. And I did."

Genis let out the breath he was holding and murmured, "and then…they told her, didn't they?"

I nodded my head, "They told her how father was killed. They said that someone was telling the humans about their elven remedies--cures for all sorts of illnesses that were kept secret from the rest of the world. And the only human that was allowed to enter and exit the village freely was our father. So they…they sent out a search party and they killed him. When…when mom asked how long ago it had been they said almost four months," I bit my lip, "They told us that they had found his body two months ago half eaten by monsters."

Genis nodded his head mutely and swallowed while I just clenched my fists. Taking a shaky breath I continued, "After mom heard this she was…she was crying. She called them cruel. Then she started coughing. One of the guards gave her something to drink, but…that just made the coughing even worse. She started to gag and then one of the other healers, one of mom's closest friends, tucked her into bed. Mom she fell asleep shortly afterwards. Or at least I _thought_ she was asleep. Moms friend, I don't even remember what her name was, but she…she said something that I'll never forget." I exhaled, "She asked how much poison was in that water."

Genis flinched this time. But he was looking me straight in the eyes, "Not much, right? Only enough to leave her in bed for a few days, right?" I nodded my head and Genis looked away, "But she gave her more didn't she? Your mother's 'friend'?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah…you could…say that. I-I…saw her force the rest of the poison in her mouth. She made her swallow it _all_. That much poison…it killed mom in an instant. I-I wanted to stop them but I couldn't even move." Genis moved closer to me and, despite the cold, wrapped his arms around me as I continued, "After they left I came out of the closet. I just, I don't know, I stared at mom for a while. I…the thing that she was making for me, it was still in her hand. Since it was for me, I took it. That's the last thing I have from her." I reached into my pocket and pulled out my Cruxis Crystal, "This is the last thing I have of my mom."

"Mithos?"

I blinked and looked down at Genis. For some reason my vision was blurry, "What?" my voice didn't sound too good either.

Genis smiled sadly up at me, "You're crying."

I blinked again and touched my cheeks. I felt something wet there, and shook my head, "I…guess I am."

Suddenly I heard a sob come from somewhere behind me. I whirled around and there, standing in the entry way of the base was Martel. One hand was covering her mouth and the other was on her stomach. Yuan was next to her, his arms wrapped around her waist. Raine and April were somewhere behind them, I could just barely see Raine's white hair.

But…when did they get there?

Martel wiped her tears and walked forward, Yuan did as well. She walked until she was standing right in front of me and she placed a hand on the top of my head. I thought she was going to ask _why_ I was out here, or why I hadn't told her what I just told Genis.

But instead she smiled, or at least attempted to smile, and whispered, "Come inside. It's warmer than it is out here."

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**(1)-**This is in reference to something April said in TU (back when they were in Heimdall) about how Raine probably couldn't have children.

**Me: **-sniff- um…-wipes away tears- uh…that was way sadder than I meant for it to be...

**Feral:**…

**April: **-starts crying-

**Me: **Err…yeah anyway, sorry for making this so sad. I never intended it to turn out this way…eh-heh-heh-heh…and it was so happy in the beginning too. Ah well, at least I got this out of my system. As always Reviews are welcome, CC is as well, but Flames are put out.


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